Catalan is a culture that flourishes in more than one place, although people tend to only associate it with Catalonia, the autonomous community in northeast Spain that includes Barcelona.
It exists – as does that Catalan language – in parts of France and Italy and on Mediterranean islands.
Considering all this, it’s no surprise that Catalan culture itself has many interesting off-shoots, from cuisine to dance and beyond.
Sardana is one type of music and group dance popular in Catalan culture. And the love of group dance may be one reason why country line dancing (which originated in America) has also been taken up so vigorously in those regions.
Of course, Catalan country line dance is embued with a flair that makes it unique.
You can even find websites – such as We Dance Country Catalan Style – with the choreographies available for you to learn!
But if you’re going to know more about this type of dancing, it’s good to start off by seeing it at its very best – and that means watching advanced dancers working with a good choreographer.
And that’s where we come to Lizard’s Angels.
While we can’t tell you how the group has changed throughout the years, we do know that the group in this video consisted of 5 dancers – David Villellas, Anna Bolós, Laura Rius, Montse Chafino, and Marta Agut.
And now, nearly 95,000 people have watched them move to a dance titled “It’s Time” by choreographer (and dancer) David Villellas.
Since Villellas’ nickname is “Lizard,” we’re pretty sure where the unique name Lizard’s Angels comes from now!
The three-part dance was performed at the 2nd Wild Bunch Country Competition held at the Wild Bunch Saloon in the coastal town of Vilassar de Mar in Catalonia. And the soundtrack was country music star Rhett Atkins’ song “K.I.S.S.I.N.G” from the 1996 album Somebody New.
The dancers get started in a straight line and you can see once of them counting off the beats.
And we don’t blame her – Part A of the dance has 64 counts!
This is not a dance for amateurs and the pressure is even higher at a competition (though it’s all meant to be fun, of course).
But eventually, all 4 women form a square around Villellas as he begins his fancy footwork.
We never saw Charlie in Charlie’s Angels, but Lizard is a very visible figure in his dance troupe.
It turns out this formation is perfect for a 5-some though! Once the women turn to the side, each one is visible from both front and back without taking up a whole long line on the stage.
And there’s no denying that they have the moves as well!
Now, this is an advanced dance, so that means they’re going to be some formation changes.
This is where you have to have some practice under your belt, so you end up in the right place at the right time instead of running into someone dancing by you or turned in the wrong direction (like we have on more the one occasion when we’ve tried!).
One of the great things about country dancing is that you can tell everyone is having a blast.
Line dancing in general is a hobby that brings dancers closer to a tight and talented community while also teaching a fun, healthy skill.
And line dancing accepts novices of any age! It’s hard to say that about most other genres of dance (although now we can find a lot more ballet or tap classes – at least in larger cities or online – open to older dancers or people of all shapes and sizes).
But country line dance has always been inclusive.
If you’re curious to see the unique Catalan style for yourself, be sure to scroll down below to catch Lizard and his Angels’ fun performance!
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